LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A murder charge has been filed against a second man suspected in the beating deaths of two Lincoln men in June.

Online court records say 20-year-old Richard McLaughlin III originally was charged with two weapons and two accessory charges. Now he’s charged with one count of second-degree murder, one of being an accessory to a felony and one weapons count. A second weapons count was dropped.

McLaughlin’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 28. He remains in Lancaster County Jail.

McLaughlin and 22-year-old Tyler Thornburg, of Cheney, are accused in the slayings of 20-year-old Nathan “Shane” Walton and 27-year-old David Mueller. Walton was found beaten near his home on June 29. He died July 2. Mueller was found that same morning north of downtown Lincoln. He died July 7.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Fewer than 200 people have used the Lincoln police website to report crimes since the service was unveiled eight months ago.

More than 170 reports have been made online at http://1.usa.gov/Yp375X . The reportable incidents are limited to theft, loss and damage totaling less than $500. Those could include reports of vandalism or of a stolen bike or cellphone or a theft from a car.

By comparison, more than 3,400 people called police or flagged down officers to report the same sorts of crime.

Chief Jim Peschong says he’s not sure whether police are receiving more reports of these crimes, thanks to the new service, or whether the people who filed online reports might have called in their reports anyway.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A 25-year-old Columbus man has been given a year in jail for punching his pregnant girlfriend, breaking her jaw.

Tyson Quigley made a deal with Platte County prosecutors and pleaded no contest to a lesser felony assault charge. Prosecutors also dropped a theft charge in exchange for Quigley’s plea. The judge gave Quigley credit for 127 days already served in jail, awaiting prosecution.

Authorities say Quigley and his 23-year-old girlfriend were arguing on March 3 about Quigley’s talking to an ex-girlfriend on a social media website. The girlfriend told officers that Quigley punched her on the right side of her face while she was lying on a couch.

Quigley also was accused of stealing his girlfriend’s car to flee the scene.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in eastern Nebraska is back in operation after nearly three years of being shut down under the heavy scrutiny of federal regulators.

Omaha Public Power District spokesman Jeff Hanson said Thursday that the 478-megawatt plant reached 98 percent power on Christmas Day and was expected to hit 100 percent later Thursday. Hanson says nothing out of the ordinary arose during restart, which began last week. On Dec. 17 OPPD received permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to restart the plant.

Fort Calhoun initially shut down for routine maintenance in April 2011, but significant flooding that summer, a small fire and a series of safety violations forced it to remain closed. With NRC oversight, OPPD addressed more than 450 concerns at the plant.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The details might seem familiar when a prosecutor reviews an Iowa trooper’s decision to shoot a suspect.

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matthew Wilber is expected to decide in coming weeks whether trooper Tim Sieleman was justified in the Dec. 1 shooting of 28-year-old Michael B. Lee of Carter Lake.

Five years ago, Wilber concluded that Sieleman’s shooting of Matthew Loth was a reasonable use of force.

In both cases, Sieleman opened fire at a suspect who was driving a stolen car at him during a pursuit. Both suspects were wounded and transported to the Nebraska Medical Center for treatment. And both occurred in similar locations in Council Bluffs.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is expected to give its investigative report on the shooting of Lee to Wilber in January.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A legislative committee is recommending additional aid for small Nebraska schools that are looking to consolidate.

Sen. Kate Sullivan, chairwoman the Legislature’s Education Committee, says the recommendation came from talks with rural school-district administrators. Lawmakers held hearings this year on Nebraska’s K-12 school funding formula.

Lawmakers opted not to make major changes to the formula, but they agreed to support a one-time expenditure of $2 million to support school districts that are making the transition. The funding would come from Nebraska Lottery revenue.

Supporters say district consolidations often require additional money to pay teachers or to offer buyouts, or to get rid of buildings that are no longer needed. Jon Habben of the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association says the costs are difficult to predict.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Five lion cubs at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo have celebrated their first birthday with cupcakes.

The two males and three females — named Taj, Josiri, Kyam, Leela and Zuri — got lion-friendly treats Thursday at the zoo. The cubs are on display at the facility’s Cat Complex.

The cubs weigh nearly 700 pounds together. Officials say they’re in excellent health and can nap as much as 20 hours a day.

African lions, which live in sub-Saharan Africa, are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln college student has been accused of making suspicious cash withdrawals from several credit cards.

Lancaster County prosecutors say 22-year-old Ryan Ehrlich, of Omaha, was stopped Dec. 18 after suspicious activity at an ATM.  A witness told police that Ehrlich appeared to make cash withdrawals from multiple credit cards.

Police eventually followed Ehrlich through a parking lot, where he is accused of throwing money out of his pockets. He was later arrested in a residential area.

Police believe Ehrlich, a student at Nebraska Wesleyan University, had more than 40 credit cards. At least 22 did not have his name.

Ehrlich is charged with criminal possession of four or more financial transaction devices. Court records do not list an attorney for Ehrlich.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the cause of a Christmas morning fire at a house in Fremont.

The Fremont Fire Department says firefighters saw visible smoke and fire when they arrived at the home around 9:20 a.m. Wednesday. There were no reports of injuries.

Capt. Tom Christensen says the fire appears to have started in the attic and escalated into the house. Firefighters were able to contain the fire, but they remained on the scene to check for hot spots.

The American Red Cross is assisting the residents of the home. Authorities have not released additional information.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man has been accused of stabbing his brother in Omaha on Christmas Eve.

Omaha police say they responded to a radio call Tuesday night about a cutting incident involving two brothers who were allegedly fighting. They entered a residence and found a 24-year-old man with a stab wound. He was transported to a local hospital with an injury that was not life-threatening.

The man’s brother, 21-year-old Dylan Whitlatch, was taken into custody for questioning. He was booked into Douglas County Corrections on a felony charge of assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

Court records do not list an attorney for Whitlatch.